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Thursday, 01 April 2004
AZERBAIJAN MARKS GENOCIDE DAY
By empty (4/1/2004 issue of the CACI Analyst)
In a 31 March address to mark Azerbaijani Genocide Day, President Ilham Aliyev accused Armenians of pursuing a policy of genocide against Azerbaijanis for the past two centuries with the aim of driving Azerbaijanis from their territory and incorporating it into a “Greater Armenia.” He said Azerbaijan is working to eliminate the consequences of \"Armenian aggression,\" and that he is certain the Karabakh conflict will be resolved \"in keeping with international legal norms.\" Genocide Day was first observed in 1998 at the behest of Ilham Aliyev\'s father and predecessor Heidar Aliyev, marking the date in 1918 when predominantly Armenian Bolshevik forces killed some 50,000 people in Baku.
In a 31 March address to mark Azerbaijani Genocide Day, President Ilham Aliyev accused Armenians of pursuing a policy of genocide against Azerbaijanis for the past two centuries with the aim of driving Azerbaijanis from their territory and incorporating it into a “Greater Armenia.” He said Azerbaijan is working to eliminate the consequences of \"Armenian aggression,\" and that he is certain the Karabakh conflict will be resolved \"in keeping with international legal norms.\" Genocide Day was first observed in 1998 at the behest of Ilham Aliyev\'s father and predecessor Heidar Aliyev, marking the date in 1918 when predominantly Armenian Bolshevik forces killed some 50,000 people in Baku. (RFE/RL)